Up to this point we have covered our thought patterns of the past and the present

Now let's talk about future.

I think we can see that future thinking affects us in many ways, good or bad. Let's take a look at some bad aspects:

Goals

Having a goal is definitely a good thing and usually is a motivation trigger for most of us. However, especially for the depressed, it can cause blue moods.

While depressed people can set goals and accomplish great things, most of them also have trouble mirroring their past experience to whatever goal they set. This can lead to a very diluted image of the future. And when you have diluted images from the past, this triggers mood disruption and anxiety as to what the outcome the future will bring.

We must remember that the image we hold about the future is nothing but an illusion. We can not guess the complete outcome, and like we read in the earlier post on the present, we can only take steps in the present to build our future.

So when setting goals, it is important to focus on the present moment and not have an unusual expectation for the future outcome. Because when the outcome isn't what you expected (and this happens all the time) we might suffer from the gap. So set realistic goals and follow through by taking action.

Worry

Worry can destroy you mentally and cause many bad bodily symptoms as well. Worry also destroys focus so your concentration level goes down. Worry is in most cases connected with future thinking.

How can we get out of this?

Remember worry doesn't serve you any good in most cases. However one way of looking at it is that we worry because we want to do well. Worry is actually a natural response in this case. But chronic worrying is definitely not the way to go. Unfortunately smarter people have this problem a lot because they want to do so well and many are perfectionists. They tend to wait around to somehow manage the worry just in their heads whereas in the mean time others take direct action to tackle the problems or worries with what they can do in the present moment. So think about your worrying. Is it serving you good? If not, take constructive action to tackle the worry and create the future you want!

Probably the No. 1 key to successfully alter your negative thought pattern is to focus and fully live in the present. Why? Because when you think about it, the present moment is really what we only have. Nothing else. Present is the moment where we can change, take action and live. The present moment is what we can really focus on to make a difference in life.

This may seem obvious, but lots of people are having a hard time getting out of the past or the future....actually most people are in some sense living in the past or the future. We can even call this an illusion in a way.

In the previous post we talked about how the past can help us improve depression. This is true, but with one purpose only- to realize and fix your misperception. Of course to add you can also praise your past success for future strength, but the most important is to manage your negative emotions.

Set a goal

Overcoming depression is not an overnight thing nor it is the matter of just snapping out of it. Just like any other goals in life, it will take some effort. It is really important to set objectives and to take many small steps to realize a bigger goal.

Start with the smallest, but problematic emotions to give yourself a nice easy start. For example, you might want to at least give your family members a nice smile in the morning (or at least a hi). Give your long lost hobby some attention it deserves and try to make a small achievement. Better yet, set a goal that you will get over depression no matter what. These goals will give you a kind of mission you must complete and will keep you focused on the present. At first you may feel nothing but overtime you should feel a sense of satisfaction as you proceed. You may get side tracked at times, but this is also the part of the challenge.

Reflect Daily

What did you do today? How did it go? Did you have a good day? How did you feel in different situations? what did I misperceive?

Ask questions like these to yourself and measure your improvement and challenges. This will give you a better picture of where you are and will give you a realistic idea of how you are making progress. This will also give you confidence that you are following through will your plans.

There are many sources mentioning how image training is so important in order to change your perception of things. Usually negative feelings and emotions come from three parts where we can use imagination. They are:

Past

Present

Future

Past:

Past negative feelings include guilt, shame, rejection, failure, etc. We must understand the power of imagination and how it impacts our present being. If one holds these past thoughts which are not necessarily true today, it may be dangerous.

The past will actually teach us lessons when we really think about it. Why did you feel guilt, shame, rejection, failure, etc etc in the first place? If you dig deep down you should find reasons to back up the feelings you had in the past. Maybe it was a proper response. Maybe it was just an over reaction. But don't let emotions run here because that's what we need to work on! Logically analyze the experience and find ways to solve the dragged along thoughts and feelings.

Remember, the past is a good teacher of yours. Reflect on it and practice your imagery. Think how you can reflect on it logically and deal with your sensitive emotions. Continuing to do so will eventually desensitize you (which is good) and give you confidence in knowing that the mere experience in the past was the trigger for depression.

I think we all can imagine how we would like to feel and how we would like to behave according to a logical approach. Just by slowly changing your thoughts or perceptions from the past we can focus on what is important in the present.

***Just a note here***
(Some statement could challenge your beliefs and may even offend you, however all the statements here were key elements which got patients out of depression and into a new mindset. Please proceed with your own discretion.)
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If you have depression, you know it's not a matter of just snapping out of it.
It's much more complicated than that. One might say it is just an automatic feeling that gets to them. Another might say it is really just their nature and there is nothing they can do.

At howtoenddepression.blogspot.com , we believe depression is a habit that you created from many different factors and generally divided into two categories:

Body (Sensations, change in body functions)

Mind (Thought patterns, beliefs, Imagination)

So now let's get into the:

Five Things You Must Consider When Overcoming Depression

Self Image

Attitude

Belief

Emotions

Habits

1. Self-image

Most of people with depression will have a poor self-image:

Do you think you are a person who is unworthy? Are you a loser? Do you believe you can't change? Are you a sad person by nature? Do you feel sorry for yourself?

These above ideas are really just ideas (mostly dragged on from the past) and they only serve your negative energy and strengthen it.

You must take note and write down what negative image you have about yourself and why you have them. Is it logical to think you are really that person? Are you being hard on yourself? Do you like to play victim? Is it scary to change your current situation?

These are all the questions you must ask yourself in order to identify your negative Self-images. Once you do this, you are more aware of your tendency and it will become easier later to alter your self-image to something better.

2. Attitude

How is your attitude in life? Is every situation working out the way you want it to? Do your actions bring you your desired outcomes or no? Are you repeating the same approach everyday and yet hoping for a change?

It's strange, but attitude is energy, and energy is contagious. You get what you emit.
Changing attitude may be one of the hardest things to do, but just think this:

If you were the person or thing that is dealing with you, would you feel good? If your answer is no, then you're probably not doing the right thing.
If you meet a person who is whining nonstop and feeling sorry for themselves, how would you feel? And especially if that person is by conventional standards comfortably living, than you may think he or she is self-centred.
You may feel you are being neglected; and this is true. Lots of the negative attitude is really coming from the person being too self-conscious and thinking about themselves obsessively.

Try to treat every situation like the way you want to be treated. You will be amazed by the difference it will make. After all, you create your own world right? Right!

3. Belief

Be careful of what you believe; this includes self-image and also anything other than yourself. when you ill-conceive something, you create a bad pattern or idea in your mind which can be a trigger for depression.

For example, in the case of human relationship, let's suppose your friend asked you " How much do you know about fashion?" One may think two possible ways:

"Oh is he asking me this question as a means of insult? Is my clothes really that bad today? Oh no..."

Now this is just a rough example, but you get the picture. People with the former idea may be referred to as having Paranoia; a type of victimized thought.

This is very common in everyday life where people mis-interpret comments or situations. Maybe the person asked this question because he wanted to become friends if both shared the same interest.

So be careful before jumping to conclusions. Take a step back and think logically. Do you really have to react in a bad way?

4. Emotions

This is probably where a lot of people get stuck. Human beings are bound by emotions. If we get compliments we feel good generally. If we are commented negatively we feel bad.
With depression, this emotional response becomes mixed up. Even in good situations we may feel down. It is a habit that is formed over time.

So how do you overcome it?

It is hard no doubt, but you must challenge yourself. I would suggest you first work on your beliefs and self-image so you can think and act logically with ease. Then practice managing your emotions so your mind finally is able to connect to it and find the balance again. It took me a while to do this, but the only way to cure is by gaining experience and working on it from the conscious level and turn it into the subconscious level. Remember, the more good results you get, the more you will have confidence in all that you do.

5. Habits

This is just really to conclude the above mentioned four elements.

Self Image

Attitude

Belief

Emotions

These are all habits that were formed somehow at some point in your life (unless you have had it since you were born, in this case it's more of a genetic or brain damage problem. Consult your doctor)

Habits are very hard to change, but is worth working on in the long run.

Conclusion

Like all challenges in life, all of the mentioned ideas above will need effort put into them and measured constantly. It may be hard to imagine yourself getting out of the depressed state, but that's where people get stuck. Of course it is not always easy days when working to improve yourself, but the pay off will be enormous.

Any ideas or comments? I'd love to hear them so please comment below.

Also if you think someone you might know may benefit from this post, please let them know.